


Please Do Not Touch

by forklemonade



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-06 22:17:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11045472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forklemonade/pseuds/forklemonade
Summary: During a field trip with her biology class, Kimberly wanders off alone in the museum. She touches a taxidermy when she's not supposed to, and the saber-toothed tiger follows her home.





	1. Chapter 1

Kimberly's classmates are getting all fired up for the field trip, but she is still trying to forge her parent's signature.

It's not her fault that she forgot about the permission slip thing. The piece of paper was tugged away in her biology book. She only discovered it early this morning. Now here she is, sitting with her back against the brick wall. The wrinkled paper on her lap. The teenagers scream and laugh while boarding the school bus. It annoys her even more.

She has no time to figure out how to write in cursive, so she just scribbles her mother's name down. Kimberly swings her backpack on and jogs to the buses. 

"Where's your book, Ms. Hart?" The teacher takes the permission slip away, and eyes her with disapproval. "It's still a school day. You are not visiting the Musem of Natural History for fun."

"It's in my locker. But I have the worksheet." Kimberly shows her the small stack of papers in her left hand.

Her teacher shakes her head, doesn't bother checking the slip. She gotta make an exception for her favorite student. Kimberly lets out a sigh of relief and heads onto the bus.

The aisles of seats are almost full, but there is a row of empty seats in the back. Amanda tries to trip her but it was easily avoided. Kimberly shoots them a glare but still, the clique whisper something and giggle.

Finally, settles down at the back seat, Kimberly put her backpack on the seat beside her. During the whole ride, she stares out of the window with her earbuds in. When they arrive at the front gate of the museum, her classmates rush out in excitement.

Kimberly rolls her eyes. A field trip can turn a bunch of almost-adults into children. She gets off the bus. The building in front of her is impressive. White stone pillars and a hundred stairs.

She supposes they have arrived in a larger city, because there isn't anything like this in Angel Groves.

She gathers up with her classmates so she doesn't have to pay an individual ticket. Her school has already paid for them. A guide with a mic shows up and gleefully introduces himself. Half of the students already lost interest.

Kimberly understands. There is far more interesting stuff around her than a college boy majored in history.

"This is so cool!" A voice in front of her. Kimberly recognizes that is Billy Cranston who is famous for blowing up his lunchbox. She wonders why he is here. His punishments also includes bans from all school privileges, including field trips.  
In the blink of an eye, he slips aways.

Kimberly gasps as she watches him fast walking towards the collection of minerals, and is never seen again.

She looks around. No one besides her notices that the boy is gone. They are either watching the presentation about a fish fossil, or looking at their phones. It's probably not allowed to leave their adult supervisors. She should tell someone, so they can go find that kid before he is lost for good.

This is messed up. Kimberly decides. Hope he finds his way back before they leave. She checks the time on her phone. It's not even 10 a.m. When she looks up, another two students leave the group.

The couple sneaks off to who knows where. Kimberly glances around, the teachers didn't notice.

They are allowed to freely roam after lunch, and there is a call time at 4 p.m. She can totally get back before that.

Kimberly feels so much better when she escapes from the student group. She walks down the hall with light footsteps, only stopping when something in the display windows interests her. There are glass shadow boxes showing other fossils, but they are too dead.

Her eyes open wide as she enters another exhibit room. This one is different. It's larger than the rest, only smaller than the main hall. It's also a zoo.

A pair of brown eyes stares straight at her. It takes Kimberly a second to realize that they aren't real. They are glassy and without focus.

She takes a step back, not admitting that she is startled. She walks around the specimen and takes in the whole body of the animal. It looks almost real. The fur coat looks like it's actually hiding the muscle.s And those teeth painted white for effect, sharp like daggers.

Kimberly glances at the sign. It reads "Saber-toothed Tiger, Smilodon".

However, her heart sinks at the next line. "Extinct: 10,000 BC"

"Of course." She whispers to herself. The specimen is probably not made from the real animal, just another wild guess based on its fossil.

The tiger is essential a deadly large cat. Kimberly would like to see how real is the model, but there is a sign hanged from the saber-toothed tiger's ear.

"Please do not touch,” the sign says.

Following the rule rarely works out well for Kimberly. She is also curiously of what the faux fur feels like. When no one is watching her, she puts her whole palm on the head of the specimen. Giving it a quick rub, Kimberly feels the fur is quite weird. It doesn’t feel like the fur of a real animal, like her neighbor’s dog. It has less warmth. That is understandable, she supposes. However, it’s unlike the rabbit hide her mom bought from the farmer’s market, either. She wonders why.

“Hey! You!”

Kimberly runs from the guard who is jogging towards her from across the room. She lost him when she gets inside the restroom. She locks her stall and leans against the wall.

A peculiar sensation rushes through her veins. She closes her eyes. It takes her another minute to calm her heartbeats.  
She should really participate in her P.E. classes.

 


	2. Chapter 2

  
The way back to Angel Groves is a quiet ride. It turns out Billy finds his way back, too. He is sitting three rows in front of Kimberly, taking apart a small device. Kimberly turns her head at the table. She is a bit tired, and she can't wait for dinner. She just spent her whole day wandering in the museum, making sure to avoid one certain exhibit room.

And, no. She wrote nothing on her worksheets, except her name.

The school bus is racing down deserted plain. Suddenly Kimberly sees a flash of something quick between the tall grasses. She sits up straighter, but nothing else comes out of the yellowing field.

Soon they arrive at the high school. Her parents are late to pick her up, so Kimberly walks home. Then she gets a text saying neither of them would be home for dinner. She makes herself some ramen and plops onto the couch.

Kimberly turns on the TV. Her worksheet packet laying next to her. Somehow she is going to fill out all five pages of that.

The 24-hour news is showing something about an animal attack. She stares at the screen for a while, but gets bored when the host says "no one is injured". Plus, the incident happens in the neighboring town. They didn't even get a clear photo of the animal.

Kimberly switches to the next channel. It's showing some kids' cartoon. Since she is already far older than the demographic, she doesn't know what that is. Getting tired out changing the channel, she falls half-unconscious for awhile.

When she wakes up, it's already 8 p.m. She jumps when she realizes she didn't do her homework. The sun has set and the room is in a complete darkness. Kimberly struggles to reach for the lamp. When she turns the light on, her worksheet is gone.

"What the..." She mumbles, not remembering misplacing her homework. She clearly remembers wanting to do the homework, with the TV in the background.

She looks around the room. It looks like none of her parents are home. The windows are closed, except for one. The curtain flows in the wind. She shivers, but not from the cold.

What is going on? She quietly asks herself. Never a believer in ghosts, Kimberly is sure that this is either supernatural or a thief is in her house. But what thief steals her homework?

She turns on the flashlight on her cell phone, and gets off the couch. She goes on and turns on every single light in the two-story house. In the room bright as the day, Kimberly feels safer now. She walks to the opened window, peaking out from there. Nothing unusual outside. Her neighbor is walking their dog. The golden retriever barks at her. She thought it's nothing unusual, but the dog continues to bark and even attempts to dash at her house. The dog is always friendly and the owners throw her an apologetic look.

Kimberly closes the window. The wind stops but the room is still cold. She sighs. Guess she is going on a hunt.

There is a baseball bat in the back of the clothing hanger. She strides over there and picks it up. No one in her household plays baseball, and her dad only bought it for "precaution". Right now it seems like a wise choice.

She weights the bat in her hand. It's somewhat heavy. Someone can kill a man with this thing if they want to.

The dog barks stop. She glances out the window. The dog is running away and her neighbors are chasing after him.

Kimberly closes the curtain and squeezes the bat tight. She enters the living room and checks every possible corner. She does the same in the kitchen, kneeling down to see under the cupboard. Even though no human can fit in the small space there. The first stair is all clear. Nothing strange.

She heads upstairs. Her bedroom door is closed. Taking a deep breath, Kimberly doesn't know what she is expecting.

She opens the door in a quick motion. Whatever she was expecting, certainly not this.

Her room used to be really clean. She likes to keep her living space neat and tidy. But now...it is literally snowing with shreds of paper. She has to fight the snowflakes to get inside the room. Through the clouds of whiteness blocking her sight, she saw something unbelievable.

A saber-toothed tiger is in her room. To put it exactly, it's on her bed.

Kimberly squeezes her baseball bat tight. For a second the human and the saber-toothed tiger just stare at each other. Both wide-eyed and alarmed.

What the hell? Those animals are supposed to be extinct...?

She takes a step closer, raises the bat to prepare for a swing. The tiger is essentially a large cat. All she has to do is cracking open her window and take a swing at the beast. She doesn’t even have to hit it or angering it. It will jump and dodges the hit and runs off into the night. Kimberly would just shut that window and clean up the mess. She would then forget about what happens and tell her teacher that the neighbor’s dog ate her homework…

Instead, the animal growls at her. It is baring its other teeth. Kimberly shivers at the sight of those white daggers, They are smaller than the obvious two but equally deadly. Kimberly fears the potential of having them buried in her flesh. All she wants to do is lock up her room and burn the house down, and she can't do that.

She takes another step forward. Surprisingly, the tiger doesn’t move again. It closes its mouth and just stares at Kimberly with those large brown eyes. Kimberly realizes she saw those eyes before, but these ones are less glassy. They are real and alive.

A chill runs down her spine. This is deja-vu. Kimberly has seen this animal before. But she is the one who has never seen a stray cat in her whole life. This kind of animal sighting is just ridiculous.

The large cat tilts its head curiously but doesn’t move again. Kimberly calms down a little. Good. If she just thinks of it as a large cat…

The large cat jumps at her. All claws and teeth. A shadow of yellowish brown in Kimberly’s face. She panics. Swinging the bat in front of her, Kimberly stumbles back.

The animal is now on top of her. The bat baring between its teeth. That’s all that between herself and death in foreseeable future. Her mind is screaming “fuck fuck fuck” while all she can choke out is shouting and screaming. The saber teeth are an inch away from her face. She even feels the animal’s panting and breathing. It’s cold and smells like air conditioner…

Failing to register why is that, Kimberly suddenly snaps out of it. If she wants to live, she has to fight back. She slows down her bicycling legs. They stiffen in mid-air. She bites her lips and kicks upward. The animal lets out a groan and rolls off Kimberly. She kneels it in the weakness of stomach. It’s effective. Kimberly climbs up and takes a deep breath. The animal is two feet away, lying on its back and tries to get up on all fours again. Kimberly looks around for the baseball ball. Now would be the best time to take advantage of the fight. Her heart is racing. She is so ready to bash its skull in...except the bat is nowhere in sight.

The mighty tiger is now downgraded to a hopeless kitten. It is laying on its stomach, curling its body together. Kimberly suddenly feels bad for trying to hurt it. Or worse, trying to kill it. However, she doesn’t think her kick in the gut would do so much damage. She narrows her eyes. The tiger could be faking being weak and trick her into approaching…

She quickly scans the room, looking for another weapon. Her biology book. Turns out it’s not in her locker. It’s on top of her drawer, two inches thick and has a hard cover.

This is madness, she thinks. In the morning she was visiting a museum, and now she is going to kill an extinct animal with her textbook…

The museum. Kimberly has this crazy idea. She has never seen a saber-toothed tiger. She has never even googled it. Yet, she remembers seeing one in the museum. Could it be…?

The one she saw was a taxonomy. A dead model. This one right here, seems very very real. She pinches herself. She’s not dreaming.

There is a living taxonomy in her room.

Still, it is strange. She severely wounded a several-hundred-pound animal with a hit in the stomach. She takes a quiet step at the animal. Biology book in hand, she raises it on top of her head. If the tiger attacks, she would just slam the book down.

The tiger doesn’t attack. Instead, it whimpers and takes off running. Paper shreds on the ground ascend like a small tornado. Kimberly stands there dumbfounded. The large cat is now hiding under her bed.


	3. Chapter 3

"What the actual fuck..." Kimberly mumbles to herself, can't believe this is happening. She runs to open her window wide open. Then she grabs her cell phone and turns on the flashlight. She hesitates for a second, and then bends down to kneel on the ground, looking under her bed. The flashlight shines in the eyes of the large cat. It squeaks and retreats even further into the darkness.

What is even going on? One moment she was fighting for her life, and now she has to get the tiger out into the light. The tiger has its eyes squeezed shut, can't open them in the bright lights.

Kimberly lets this situation sinks in. The animal seems to be genuinely afraid. Kimberly gets on all fours and puts her flashlight away.

"Come on out," she feels ridiculous uttering these words. "I'm not going to hurt you. C'mon." The tiger is an intelligent animal. It slowly opens its eyes and stretches its legs. The small area under Kimberly's bed is narrow and dusty.

Kimberly wonders how it fits in there. Kimberly quickly grabs her water bottle and screws it open. The tiger needs more encouragement to come out. Kimberly would prefer some food as a bait, but she doesn't have any snacks in hand. She pours some water on her wooden floor. It flows like a small river. The animal stirs again, seems tempted by the offer.

"C'mon. You must be thirsty." Trapped in the museum and all that. In the dimmed light, Kimberly even notices the same tag on the tiger's ear.

The animal is taking the offer. Its eyes are fixed on the puddle of water. Licking its teeth, the tiger takes careful steps towards the light.

Kimberly scoots back, now sitting on her heels. Those large brown eyes bore into hers, studying her intentions. Finally, it bows its head and takes a small lick at the water.

Kimberly holds her breath as the animal drinks. She has seen How To Train Your Dragon, and this is how people tame animals. Especially those wild and unknown beasts. She extends her hands quietly, hovering above the tiger's head. It continues to lick the water, tongue curling to bring droplets into its mouth.

Screw it, Kimberly decides. She lowers her hand to give the animal a small caress. It was a bad, bad idea. As if the hand burns, the tiger is alerted. It quickly retreats and shakes its fur, trying to get the hand off from its skin.

Kimberly's hand drops. The back of her hand hitting the ground. Distrust is coming back to the tiger's eyes. Kimberly has to take a risk. Before the tiger has a chance to growl and attack, Kimberly throws herself on it.

The animal is about the same length as her height. She keeps all her body weight on the tiger, slamming the two of them on the ground. The tiger shakes violently, bulging everywhere, trying to get out of Kimberly's grasp. One fights to run, one fights to keep it there.

Kimberly glances at her window. It's wide open, night breezes blowing fresh air inside. She circles her arm around the tiger's body, and rolls on the ground to move it there. They make little progress. The tiger is constantly thrusting to get away, making all sort of noises, ranging from groaning to whimpering. It's getting tired,

Kimberly feels less and less resistance as the minutes pass. She keeps dragging the heavy beat toward her windowsill. The body in her arms is getting warm. It used to be as cold as corps. Kimberly isn't paying attention because she is drenched in sweat herself.

They finally arrive at the window. Kimberly leans herself against the wall, breathing heavily.

The ten feet journey was a struggle. And now, all she has to do is raise the animal and push it out the window. There is a bush under the window, so the animal won't die. She would close the window and go on with her life. As if nothing happens.

She needs to catch a breath before she can lift the several hundred pound beast. She flips her wet hair onto the other side, so the strands aren't blocking her sight. When Kimberly looks down at the animal laying across her legs, she realizes it's not moving.

"Shit." This is bad. She was going to chase away the strange beasts, not killing it. She pushes the animal off her legs, as quickly as possible. The body rolls onto its side. Still not moving a muscle.

Kimberly is beyond confused. What did she do? What did she do to kill it? All she remember doing is restricting the animal in her arms. She didn't shoot it or stab it or anything. Why is it dead?

"Oh good, you aren't dead." The animal stirs again. Its legs twitch.

Kimberly reaches out to flip the tiger onto the right side. She has to make sure it will survive the fall. otherwise, all her efforts are wasted. Her room is only on the second floor. But some humans can't survive this. She doesn't know if an unconscious beast will.

It's breathing. Very good. Kimberly wraps her arms around its body, dragging it up, towards the open window. It's insanely heavy. Kimberly sometimes exercises but this thing isn't in her weight range. Plus, the body is burning hot. She realizes it's hotter than before. Almost like it's having a deadly fever. Her palms sink deep in its fur, touching its skin.

And it's really warm.

The animal moves again. This time it's not the limbs, but something deeper inside the body. Kimberly feels strange movement beneath her palm, like something inside is moving. Could it be bones? She shivers, feeling like living in a horror movie.

It is bones, she can hear them crackling. Kimberly can't hold the tiger up anymore. Both of them drops to the ground. The animal's body laying across her. She can't move because of the weight, so she has to witness an absolutely peculiar sight. Every bone of the tiger's body is shifting under its skin. They crackle and change shapes.

The tiger's fur is fading away as if it can just shed them. The skin stretches and shrinks to fit the new shape. It's perfectly smooth now, with no trace of fur.

Kimberly's mouth hangs open. That looks painful. The saber-toothed tiger just turns into a human girl, who is very naked.


	4. Chapter 4

“…?” Kimberly has no words. What is this madness? How did she get from a normal teenager spending the night watching TV, to here? She quickly removes her hand from the girl, whose skin is cooling down to normal temperature. She doesn’t even know how she keeps her hands there, during the…transformation.

The mysterious girl stares back. It is no coincidence that her eyes are the same shades of brown as the tiger. It is no coincidence that she is curling up in a ball, at the same place where the tiger disappears. 

“Who are you?” Kimberly asks, out of curiosity. Maybe she should be worried about her life. The girl in front of her, is clearly not human. “…What are you?”

The girl doesn’t response. She scans Kimberly from head to toe, and then abruptly removes her gaze. She hugs herself tighter. She scoots into the corner, furthest away from Kimberly.

“Do you speak human language?” Kimberly feels stupid for attempting a conversation. But if she can talk to the girl, she can send her back to where she came from. “I speak English,” Kimberly introduces, “And Indian, and some Spanish. I’m failing my Spanish class, though…”

“English, then.” The girl speaks. Kimberly almost jumps up in victory, but even the smallest movement scares the girl. She retreats even further into the wall.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” Kimberly holds her arms up, then takes them back because it looks invasive. She is thankful that the girl subconsciously covers up her front. Her brunette hair tangles up in messy curls, draping down on her somewhat tan body. When Kimberly snaps out of her thought, she is reminded of that fact that the girl is still naked. 

Her cheek heats up. Kimberly quickly stands up and rushes into her closet, picking up the closest sweater and pants she can get. She is looking at everywhere else when handing the clothes to the girl. She feels the weight of the clothes removed from her hand, but it is still not safe for her to turn around. 

Kimberly feels vulnerable, having her back turned on a stranger. She hears the clothes shuffles behind her, hoping that the girl is getting dressed. When the shuffling stops, Kimberly carefully turns and takes a peek at the girl. She is now dressed in a sweater that is one size larger, and sweatpants long enough to cover her bare feet. She is sitting up, leaning against the wall. Her head tilts slightly, studying Kimberly.

“Do you…have a name?” Kimberly sits down in front of her, making sure to keep a distance. “My name is Kimberly, by the way.”

“…I don’t have one.” The girl finally says. Her voice a bit hoarse. She rests her chin on her knees. “Name me.”

That seems like a great responsibility. Kimberly swallows, hesitating to take up the offer. The girl looks determined to have a name and isn’t going to name herself. Kimberly has to think of a name for her. 

She looks for inspirations around her room. Sure there are posters on her walls, but she can’t name a sometimes-human girl after a band or movie. There are books on her shelves and some paper on her table. There is a stack of letters, mostly from unheard-of colleges that send out spam ads.  
Kimberly never plans to apply to any of them. However, she remembers some colleges are named after people, so it is possible for her to name someone after colleges. “Bowdoin College, Swarthmore College, Bryn Mawr College, Washington and Lee University, Trinity College, Grinnell College, College of the Holy Cross…” Kimberly shuffles through the letters.

“Wait,” Kimberly hears the girl mumbles to herself. 

“You want to be called ‘Holy Cross’?” Kimberly is genuinely surprised. 

“No!…no.” The girl is alarmed. “Not that…Trini..tee?”

“Trinity,” Kimberly keeps an eye on the girl, who looks like she is in deep thought. “Does it ring a bell?” She quietly asks. The girl must have a name before, perhaps it reminds her of something.

“Trini!” Light bulb turns on. “That’s my name…” She suddenly clutches her head and buries her face in her arms. 

“Okay, okay.” Kimberly approaches her. The girl, Trini, looks like she is in pain. Kimberly tentatively holds up a hand, landing it on Trini’s shoulder. “You are okay. Can you tell me what happened?”

“I…” Trini freezes at the touch. She glances at Kimberly’s hand. “I’m not sure.”

Kimberly feels like stepping across a line, so she takes it back in shame. 

“Are you… like a werewolf? Weretiger?” This is some supernatural crazy shit. “I saw you turn into a human, but you were a saber-toothed tiger before…? Why were you in the museum? And what’s with the tag?” Kimberly can’t help but shoot out questions. 

Her eyes trail to Trini’s ear. It’s the “Please do not touch” tag, hiding behind her hair. It is hanging from the same white string, around her earlobe. 

“Do you want me to take this off?” Kimberly asks. It doesn’t look painful but it must be uncomfortable. She slowly reaches over to tug on the twisted string, trying to untangle it from her hair. 

Trini hisses, pushes Kimberly’s hand away. When their hands touch, Trini jumps back as if scorched by flame. 

Kimberly stares at her wide-eyed. What’s with the touching? She remembers her touch hurts the saber-toothed tiger, does it hurt Trini, too? But, why?

“Read the label, please.” Trini glares at Kimberly with hurt in her eyes. “It says don’t touch me.”


	5. Chapter 5

"Look, I'm sorry." Kimberly hurriedly says. Trini is a strange creature and apparently doesn't need her help. "Do you remember where you came from?”

There is no response. Not even a head shake. Kimberly takes a deep breath, suddenly annoyed at the situation. She takes another look at Trini, making sure that she won't miss her sweater. 

Kimberly decides she doesn't even want to know what Trini is. Or how she came alive from a taxidermy in the museum. Or how she followed Kimberly home. Kimberly glances at the shreds of her homework on the ground, and rules that as unimportant. "Do you need anything before you go?"

No response. Trini is still curling in the corner, hugging her knees and staring at the ground in front of her. 

"Did you hear what I said?" Kimberly raises her voices. The last time she knows, Trini isn't mute. "You do know you can't just stay here, right?"

"I'm hungry," Trini looks up and says. She keeps her eyes fixed on Kimberly, as if expecting Kimberly to do something about it. "You have food...?"

"I do," Kimberly eagerly gets to her door. She turns to look at Trini. "Stay here. Don't go anywhere else," she warns.

Kimberly closes the door behind her, just in case the girl goes around exploring her house. She rushes downstairs, opens the snack cabinet. She gets upstairs with an armful of chips. Using the elbow to open the door, Kimberly comes into an empty room. She stands frozen for a moment and quickly throws the snack away. She gets on her knees and checks under her bed. The were-saber-toothed-tiger tends to like the dusty space there. Nothing.

She stands up and wants to scream in frustration. Sure she gets rid of Trini, but who knows if the girl is still hiding in the corner somewhere in the house. Kimberly groans at the thought of her parents come home to a stranger in their closet. 

Kimberly must find her. Again.

She turns around to search the floor. Before she closes her door, she sees a slight movement from the corner of her eyes. Something is in her bed. Under her comforter. 

Kimberly grabs the baseball bat on the ground. She approaches her bed in quiet steps. Silently praying that she isn't going to face a saber-toothed tiger, Kimberly flips her comforter open. 

Kimberly lets out a sigh. It's Trini.

The girl is curling up in a ball in the middle of the bed. Her eyebrow knitted tight. Her fists clench around her shoulders. Kimberly stares at her in horror. There are holes and tears on Trini's brand new sweater. Her skin sticks out her and there, like the body of a starving child. The bones are moving to form a new structure.

"I'm gonna...change to a tiger," Trini's eyes are fighting to squeeze shut. There are sweats on her forehead. Her face is pale like a paper. "Do something about it!"

"What should I do?" Kimberly rushes to her side, kneeling on the bed. Trini looks like she is about to die from the pain. "I don't know what to do!"

"Touch me..." Trini's voice drifts away. 

"I thought I'm not supposed to?" Kimberly is confused. But her hand is already reaching out. "Are you sure?"

"Very." She is biting her lips, almost drawing blood. "It doesn't have to be gay. Just, touch me, anywhere."

"...Of course." Kimberly feels a chill runs down her spine. Trini is wearing long sleeves, so Kimberly grabs her hand.

Trini's hand is warm. Too warm. Kimberly can imagine the rest of her body is the same temperature. When their hands touch, Trini shivers and squeezes her hand. She closes her eyes and sighs.

Kimberly watches as the bones stop their shifting, and quietly getting back to their normal places. Trini unconsciously scoots closer to Kimberly, who decides to lay down to get more comfortable.

"Is that all?" Kimberly whispers, getting tired of tonight's events. "Can you at least explain what's the touching thing?"

She looks at Trini, whose breathing finally calms down. "...Trini?" Kimberly carefully slips away from her hand. "Are you asleep?"

Trini's hold tightens and she shifts closer to Kimberly. "Not yet," she slurs. "I will explain."

"So explain," Kimberly waits patiently for a response, but Trini looks like she is slowly falling asleep. Kimberly uses her free hand to nudge Trini, who jolts awake.

"I'm sorry. It's just that a human's touch ignites changes." She slowly says. "If I'm in animal form, your touch makes me start changing into a human. When I'm human, your touch makes me change into an animal. If you stop touching me, I would stop changing. That's why I don't want your touch."

"What about just now?" Kimberly is still confused. "I'm touching you but it makes you feel okay?

"When I go without human's touch for a while, I would start changing back to a tiger." Trini sighs. "That's what you saw earlier. But if I'm already changing, a human's touch would also turn me back to human."

"That's complicated." Kimberly comments. "How do you know whether you want human contact or not?"

"I don't know," Trini groans. Her body temperature is back to normal. Her legs reach over to pull the comforter back. "Which is why I avoid it. Just in case."

"I'm sorry...that you have to go through this," Kimberly slowly speaks. "What happened to you?"

"It's nothing," Trini huffs. She turns around, facing Kimberly. "I'm cursed."


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn't long before Trini struggles free from Kimberly's grasp and sits up against the headboard. She grabs the pillow and hugs it tightly. She looks at Kimberly expectingly.

"Just kidding, I'm not cursed." Trini tilts her head and grins. "I honestly don't know. I wasn't born as a freak. It's just what happens to neglected children."

So she was neglected. Kimberly nods, trying to digest the idea. Trini seems okay with it. "Your parents...?" Kimberly's voice trails off. "Did they...?"

"I don't talk about them that much," Trini confesses with a shake of her head. "In fact, I haven't talked in months...years maybe. It's a surprise I still remember English."

"It's a good thing we met, I hope?" Kimberly asks, her thoughts drifting elsewhere. So she is the first person Trini talks to, in forever it seems. Kimberly blushes at the thought of being the first one touching Trini, as well. Sure there are kids running around the museum and smash their hands on everything they see. 

And Trini's taxidermy doesn't even stand in the dark corner. There must be someone who touched her before Kimberly. But nothing happened back then, why is that? 

"Food?" Trini reminds with a hint of hope in her voices. Kimberly groans. She is too tired to move, even though it wasn't her whose bones shift around for fun.

"Go get it yourself." Kimberly drops her arms down the bedside and gives a small wave at the pile of snack on the ground. She immediately decides that is a bad idea. 

Trini climbs out of the bed without hesitation. She rolls over Kimberly's laying body and straddles her in the process. Trini doesn't stay in that position for long, thank goodness. Kimberly turns to her side, watching the girl jumping off the bed like an elegant feline. Trini approaches the snack bags as if they are live prey. She snatches them and heads back.

"What are these?" Trini mumbles, flipping the bags around to find a way to open. Kimberly sighs and reaches over to help her. 

"Wow," Trini's eyes open wide. "Human food."

"What were you expecting?" Kimberly asks in amusement. She watches Trini sinks her hand into the bag of Doritos and comes out with a handful of chips. She sniffs the chips carefully. "It's safe to eat...?"

"Of course," Kimberly laughs. "You saw me opening the bag and I didn't put anything in it." She regrets saying that almost immediately. What if that's not what Trini is worrying about? What if is the food, human food, that could be harmful to a supernatural creature.

"I honestly don't know, but..." Kimberly says. She is interrupted by the loud crunching sound. Trini has already stuffed the chips into her mouth. Her eyes half narrowed in enjoyment. 

"See, I'm still okay." Trini grins, using her hand to whip off the crumbs on the corner of her mouth. "Now open the other bags."

"At least finish the first bag first?" Kimberly looks at the other snacks, and then back to Trini's eyes. "You aren't going to finish everything, and they'll all be wasted."

"I want to try every flavor. I haven't eaten anything for a very long time."

That is a solid argument. Kimberly sighs and complies. She lay all the open bags between them. Trini dives in. Half an hour later, all the bags are empty.

"It's probably not good for anyone, to eat that many chips." Kimberly comments, throwing away the trash. Trini is now laying across the bed, playing with the comforter. She is literally purring in satisfaction. 

Kimberly takes a moment to collect herself. Her night has taken several 180 degrees turns, and she wonders how she ends up here. Laying with a tiger girl, who just emptied their snack cabinet.

Friends can lay on the same bed together. But are they even friends? Sure Kimberly just fed Trini, but their night started off fighting to the death? 

Kimberly looks at the strange girl and studies her like the first time ever. Trini is pretty, in a crazy way. She can take care of herself without Kimberly, right? But she can't even open a snack by herself. If Kimberly just lets her wander into the human world, it would be just unresponsible. Think about what other awful humans would do to her. 

"Do you remember where you came from?" She asks Trini and she doesn't get a legit reply. Trini only whines and snuggles deeper into the cocoon of soft fabrics.   
Kimberly hides her face behind her hair. She is fighting back an "aww". 

This is cute. Trini is cute. Cat-like Trini is cute. Not when she is a saber-toothed tiger, though. The tiger isn't cute. 

Kimberly kneels on the bed and then falls face first into her pillow. Trini's warm breaths are just inches away. The girl has fallen asleep. It's understandable. It must be a rollercoaster for Trini, too.

Kimberly hopes it's okay with her parents. It might be okay. They don't really mind anything. They raised her like how they would raise chicken, let her run around free. 

They didn't even react when she came out to them. They certainly wouldn't react if Kimberly has taken in a stray. 

Then again, To avoid drama, Kimberly would keep Trini a secret. The parents wouldn't react if they never know Trini exists.


	7. Chapter 7

Kimberly's plan to keep Trini a secret, almost fails within hours.

She wakes up to her mom knocking on the door. For a second, Kimberly doesn't remember where is she. She pats on her alarm clock to turn on the night light.

It's 4 a.m. Kimberly groans and buries her face back into the pillow. This is too early in the morning. She doesn't know how she woke up.

The knock starts again. That's when Kimberly remembers the door. She sits up quickly, trying to hear who is at the door. Her parents should be at home.

It's not her door. "Kimberly?" her mom asks, but her voice is too distant. Kimberly quickly slips off the bed.

"Are you taking a shower? It's too early." Her mom complains, continues to knock the bathroom door. Kimberly turns around. Her bed is empty. Where is Trini? Her heart sinks.

Her mom is in the hallway, thinking Kimberly is in the bathroom while Trini is probably in there. How the tiger girl finds it is a mystery. Right now, instead of worrying about Trini, Kimberly has to worry about her mother first.

She prays Trini stay in the bathroom. Her mom soon gets tired of her knocking goes unanswered. She mumbles something and goes back to bed.

Kimberly counts the footsteps outside her room, until they echo off to silence. The door at the far end closes.

Kimberly extends her head into the empty hallway. The sound of shower water continues. Kimberly tip toes down to the bathroom.

She tries the door. Of course, it's locked. She is suspicious of how Trini knows how to take a shower. She can't even open a snack bag by herself.

Kimberly stands outside the door and starts at the paint pattern in front of her. The steam comes out of the crack of the door, warming her bared feet. She listens for the movement inside, not that it's creepy or anything.

Hope Trini is okay. Kimberly can't seem to stop, once she begins to worry. Trini could turn on the boiling water and burn herself. Slip on the wet ground and fall. Hit her head somewhere hard. Kimberly paces around. She is trying not to make a sound, while having a way to express her thoughts.

"Trini?" She can't help but whispers. "Are you in there?"

The water stops immediately. Kimberly hears the shower curtain shuffles, and suddenly the bathroom door swings open. Steam blows on her face and she coughs at the water vapors.

"Trini?" Kimberly knows she sounds like an idiot.

"I fell and hit my head." The girl admits. Water droplets drip from the end of her hair and wet the collar of her shirt.

Kimberly's shirt. It's a band t-shirt fresh out of the laundry, Kimberly planned to wear it tomorrow but Trini ruins her plan.

"Are you okay?" Kimberly looks at her up and down. There isn't any bruise or cuts. Trini is perfectly fine. And now, after a wash, she looks perfect.

She is a little underweight, otherwise very health. Her cheeks are pink from the heat inside. She grins cheekily.

"I'm okay." Stepping out, she brushes past Kimberly and head for their bedroom.

Kimberly checks inside the bathroom. Everything is a mess. The used towel laying on the ground. Water puddles are everywhere. The soap is used up. Kimberly can imagine how Trini scrubbed herself to feel clean.

She sighs, walks over and picks up the towel. She puts it up on the rack to dry, and then follows Trini back to their room.

Their room? Since when?

Kimberly sighs again and closes her door. She makes sure to lock it, in case her parents decides to barge in the morning. They will make assumptions she doesn't like. Kimberly doubts Trini would like it.

Kimberly heads for the bed. Trini is already in it. Dressed in fresh clothes, washed up clean and smell like her shampoo? Kimberly doesn't know how to react so she decides not to comment on anything.

Kimberly lays down beside her. She feels Trini's hand creeps up to hers. Kimberly stiffens. What is this?

"Trini?" She asks carefully. "Are you really okay?"

"Mhhm." Trini hums, squeezes their hands. "I just feel a change coming up. I stopped it."

"Oh." So Trini needs her touch to stay human. Kimberly understands, but it is only until now does she really understands how this works. She can imagine what will happen, the next time Trini needs her. Now she got responsibility.

This feels nice. Kimberly enjoys the human warmth radiates from Trini, who instantly scoots closer. Now they are almost cuddling.

Kimberly panics. Reality hits her hard in the face. What if she can't always be here for Trini?

"This touching mechanism..." Kimberly decides to ruin the mood and asks. "Does it only works with me?"

"I don't know." Trini slowly answers. "I don't think other humans would take it as well as you did, though."

"So you are not going anywhere?" Kimberly carefully asks. She secretly turns her head to looks at Trini's expression.

"I don't think so, no." She looks confused, but her face turns to a sense of relief when she sighs into her pillow. Kimberly feels the same warm breath on her neck. She shivers.

"Good."


	8. Chapter 8

It's already morning. Kimberly can see the sunlight from the back of her eyelids. Still, she pretends like she is half-dead, until someone begins to nudge on her side. She knows it's Trini, since she locked the door so no one can get in or get out.

"Kimberly." Trini whines, sounding slightly annoyed. Only then does Kimberly fully awakes. It's the first time Trini calls her by name. It sounds different than how most people sound. Almost like Trini has an accent especially when calling her.

"What is it?" Kimberly slowly climbs out of her bed. Finding Trini fully dressed in her clothes, Kimberly thinks about what the girl could possibly need. 

Water. Food. Shelter. Physical contact. The last one no longer requires Kimberly's attention, since whenever Trini needs it to stay human, she would touch Kimberly without asking for permission. Kimberly tries to keep track of how often it is, but the schedule is strange. Sometimes Trini can go an hour without Kimberly, sometimes they touch every few minute.  
Kimberly was wandering between consciousness and consciousness last night, but she still feels somewhat well-rested. Perhaps it's because she was too tired, any bit of rest is good enough. 

She knows for a fact that Trini didn't sleep well. She always stirs in her sleep and roll around in the sheets. Her body burning in sudden pain, pulling her dreams down to nightmares. Her hands pat around on the mattress, looking for Kimberly's exposed skins. Just like a drowning person looking for a piece of floating wood. 

Kimberly often feels a hand somewhere, but Trini's touch is light and gentle enough not to wake her up.

Kimberly feels back for Trini. For this curse-like thing she has. But on the other hand, she hopes, at least from the back of her mind, that Trini is glad to be here with her. Otherwise, she would still be trapped in the museum. Kimberly hopes her bedroom is better than the museum. Though not as cool as the air conditioning there, she has breezes from the window, endless supply of Doritos, fresh clothes that smell like detergents, hot shower, and human contact. Kimberly hopes Trini likes it here.

"Food?" Trini tries again, poking Kimberly in her arm.  
"Of course." Kimberly snaps out of her thought. "We don't have chips anymore, though."

Trini looks confused, but then she shrugs. "Anything is fine."

Kimberly nods, thinking about what she can get for Trini. She slips on the ground and walks to her door. 

"You wait here. Don't go anywhere." Turning back to face Trini, Kimberly tells her. Trini nods and climbs back to bed, burying herself under the comforters again, only leaving half of her face on the surface. 

Kimberly chuckles and makes sure to close the door behind her. The smell of bacon and eggs is in the air. She heads downstairs, knowing her parents probably have the breakfast ready, together with toasts and milk. It is proven that Trini can have human food. She can eat bags of chips for dinner. Regular breakfast shouldn't be a problem. 

Kimberly gets to the kitchen. Her share of the food is on the counter. Her parents nowhere in sight. Great. Kimberly grabs the full plate and picks out two sets of utensils. Being extra careful, she puts one set of them in her pocket, in case she runs into her parents on the way back.

It's a safe trip back. No incident and no scare. Only her phone rings from a distance. It sounds like it's in her room, though it stops after one ring. Kimberly doesn't pay much attention to that. It could be a scam call or a text from whoever. 

She opens her door, kicks it close with her heel. She locks it again. Trini is in the same position as before, but jumps up as soon as she smells the food. 

Kimberly smiles at her, and puts the plate on top of a hardcover book on the bed.

"Don't use your hands," Kimberly warns, earning a playful glare from Trini.

"Relax," she rolls her eyes, picking up a fork and a knife. "I know how to use these things." Trini looks like she instantly regrets saying that. She lowers her head slightly and pokes the scrambled egg.

"How come?" Kimberly notices, despite Trini obviously doesn't want her to. "You know how to shower, too. But you don't know how to open a bag of Doritos?"

"It's just that..." Trini's voice trails off in a whisper. "I remember certain things but that's about it."

"Okay." Kimberly decides to drop the topic. The two sit and eats in comfortable silence. Kimberly finds herself only eating one-third of all the food, but she isn't complaining. She isn't as hungry, after all. 

"What's you plan today?" Trini suddenly asks. "It's Friday, after all. Don't you have to go to school?"

"Yeah, but our teacher gives us a late start because of yesterday's field trip," Kimberly answers, after swallowing her food. "School starts an hour late."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update...tell me what you think in the comment:)


	9. Chapter 9

Kimberly knows this clearly. It’s not possible to got to school with Trini, who doesn’t exist in the eyes of the school officials and teachers. Hell, she probably doesn’t even exist in the eyes of the government. Kimberly realizes that perhaps it’s illegal to keep her. Trini is...a taxidermy in the museum, after all. It becomes even more obvious as Kimberly unlocks her phone. It’s a notification from the local news, which she has no idea she subscribes to. 

Saber-Toothed Tiger Taxidermy Stolen at Natural Museum  
Shit. To her defense, Kimberly didn’t steal it. The animal followed her home, for god’s sake. But she knows no one would believe that bullshit. Kimberly frowns to herself, thinking about how to deal with this mess. It is easy to cover up the track, as long as Trini stays human. Nothing would expose them more than a saber-toothed tiger ramming around. Trini can disguise as human. There is no difference in appearance. Only if someone actually befriend her, could they notice that the girl isn’t actually as human as she looks. 

As long as everything stays under the cover. They should be good.

Still, it’s not possible to go to school with Trini. 

Kimberly doesn’t know how to explain this to Trini, or how can they make this work. Trini has grew attached to her, probably because she actually need Kimberly’s presence. 

If Kimberly has to lock Trini in her room for a whole day, either the girl or the tiger will break these walls down.

“Trini?”

Kimberly successfully gain her attention. Trini is sitting beside the window, trying to get the attention of a bug outside “I’m going to school now.”

Trini’s eyes widen at the words. She quickly sits up, opening her mouth as if to say something. But she shuts it and deflates back to her spot. 

Kimberly finds her guts twist in a bittersweet knot. It’s not that she wants to leave, but Trini seems to think so. 

Her favorite blanket is on the ground. Kimberly picks it up, knowing that it fells off some time during the night. “Here,” she approaches Trini carefully, and offers the blanket. “Don’t tear it to pieces.”

Kimberly hesitates for a second. Maybe she’s being too sappy, and Trini is still mad at her. But Trini takes it gladly and wraps it in her arms.

“It smells like you.” That’s what she says. 

Kimberly lets out a sigh, heads to the closet to dress up. She takes the empty plate on the way downstairs. She washes it in a hurry and heads to the door.

There is only one car in the garage and it’s hers. She sighs again, knowing that her parents has left. She barely sees them nowadays, and when they do meet, they only say hi. Perhaps having Trini now is good for her. 

The Biology teacher begins to collect their homework as soon as the bell rings. Kimberly has nothing to offer. She later finds out that one fifth of the class either didn’t finish it or left it at home. What a pleasant surprise. 

Her day rolls on like every other boring days. Her mind drifts off ever so often, but luckily she is good at pretending to pay attention. She is constantly thinking about Trini. What is she doing now?

It suddenly occurs to Kimberly that it is...cruel to lock her there. She is probably fight herself for the control of her body right now. She is probably in pain. Just imagine every bone in your body change shape. Every muscle stretches and twists to fit her new form.

Kimberly is guilty. She doesn’t think the pain in her heart is even a fraction of what Trini is feeling right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading this short filler chapter...more will be up soon


	10. Chapter 10

“I’m sorry,” Trini has her head lowered. Her voice barely a whisper.

Kimberly has no words. They are standing in front of the school gate and the bell just rang. Every student floods out of the campus like they can’t stand a second more. They rush past them like a river passing a stone.

Kimberly stares at Trini in pure shock. “H-how did you get here?”

“Oh.”

The girl is staring back. She looks confused like she didn’t expect Kimberly would ask that. “Uh, I smashed your coin bank and climb out of the window, I took a bus here.”

“You what?” Kimberly isn’t particularly worried about her coin bank. She only got it for two weeks and the money in there can only afford a few bus rides. “You jumped down from the second floor. And. How did you manage to stay human for a whole day?”

“I landed in the bush,” Trini explains. There is a scratch on her forehead. It’s small enough through, barely bleeding. “On the bus, I  
asked people if they can hold my hand, and the fifth person said yes.” She watches closely for Kimberly reaction. “I said I’m sorry...”

“Stop apologizing,” Kimberly inches closer and wraps her arms around her. “If that’s what you are worried about, don’t. I’m not mad at you for touching other people.”

“As long as it’s appropriate?”

Kimberly blushes in response. “Yes. Now let’s drive you home so you won’t waste my money on a bus again.”

Trini happily follows her until they are walking side by side. The parking lot is almost empty and Kimberly’s sedan is right there in the middle. She only started driving this semester so she pays extra care on the road. 

Kimberly arches her eyebrow as she sees Trini sitting there with her seatbelt on. How did she do that? And…”How did you know how to ride a bus?”

“I...” Trini stammers, “I just know, okay?” She suddenly becomes defensive. “I just know...these things. I’m still part human, what’s wrong with that?”

“So you are saying that you know how to function in a human world?” Kimberly decides this is enough. “But you pretend to be helpless…? For what?”

Trini seems to be in deep thought, but that’s not what Kimberly wants for an answer. “Why did you come to my house in the first place?” Kimberly fights back the bitterness at the back of her throat. “...What do you want from me?”

“What do you want from me?” Trini finally bursts out. There are glittering tears in her eyes. “I was fine on my own, in the museum. Sure it’s not the best place to be, but I was okay. Then you have to come and wake me up.” She abruptly turns her head away. 

“And now...now you don’t want me anymore?”

Kimberly was going to say that’s not what she meant, but now it seems like a great opportunity to get rid of Trini once and for all.  
Kimberly hesitates for a second, and then questions why she did hesitate. This is her goal from the start. Get rid of the tiger without physically hurting it. “Physically” is the keyword.

Kimberly can’t keep quiet for long. “Did you lie about being cursed as well? Are you some kind of wizard…”

“No! That was true…”

“You are saying...you can live like a human this whole time? You don't need help with chip bags, shower, and food because apparently, you can ride a bus too? How long do you plan on keeping this a secret? I'm risking everything just because you like the attention?”

“No!” Trini immediately refuses, but then she lowers her head. “Well, y-yeah. A little. Can you imagine standing at the same place for years? I'm sorry that I like you and your bed.

“There are better beds in the world.” Kimberly groans. “Go find them yourself. I'm done with you. I bet you can get anyone to hold your hand.” Now parked in front of her house, Kimberly taps on her steering wheel. “Now go, you don't need me anyway.”

“...Go home?” Trini lets out a small whimper. 

“Anywhere but mine.” Kimberly knows she will regret what she said, but now her mind is colored with angry red. The color doesn’t fade even when the car door closes with a bang. 

She calms down within minutes and exits the car. The neighborhood is as quiet as it always is. There is no one on the sidewalk, not even the dog-walkers and joggers. 

Kimberly blames herself of how she get herself into this situation. She enters her home. There is no parent in sight. She sees the note “we won’t be home for dinner” again, and wonders if it’s the same note reused.

She finds her bedroom in the same mess and then starts to pick up the trashes and put away the blankets and clothes. It feels like she just hosted a huge party and now she is left with the drunken kids and cops. But in reality, she is alone.

Kimberly goes and sits by the window. Her eyes are drawn to whatever bushes that shake, but she knows it’s the wind. She becomes more bored than ever, even started to name the plants outside. She picks up her phone to look for the name of the bushes down stair. Her heart sinks with every touch of the key. She knows she will never find it.

That is when she is reminded of how Trini became a taxidermy. Loneliness. 

Kimberly is now shaking from fear. But she calms down sooner than she thought. Now she wants to know what animal she would be. Please be something cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me:) I promise it will be a happy ending. Comment what you think


	11. Chapter 11

It’s been a week since Kimberly told Trini to leave. Kimberly manages to survive the boring classes and her unoriginal classmates. The Biology teacher was mad at her for forgetting her homework. Even after another chance, she still doesn't have it. The incident landed her in the detention, but only for one day. 

Kimberly is still waiting to be turned into a taxidermy. At least her life would take an interesting turn. She continues to think about the night with Trini, that was before she disappears forever. Did she find her home?

It's sappy to keep thinking about that. Kimberly shakes her head and tries to focus on her school work. This is what would get her graduate after all. Plus, it's supposed to prepare her for the real world. Not the supernatural one. The were-tiger never come back, so Kimberly assumes everything is fine. It’s Schrodinger's cat. She doesn't know if Trini is dead or what, until she sees the girl again,

The day comes sooner than Kimberly was ready. She is teaching herself a new trick to flip her pen, while staring outside the window. The teacher is lecturing something so passionate that he doesn't care about who is actually listening. The outside world is peaceful. There is no taxidermy coming back to life, and no cat-like girl running around. The PE class is running the laps. The slackers are walking. Everything in her life is normal. Kimberly even starts to doubt if Trini was real. Or did she imagine the whole thing?

After another blink of her eyes, the slackers are jogging again. Kimberly sits up in attention. They aren't jogging on the track. They are running towards something. A dozen kids dash across the field, while the coach whistles to stop them. But soon everyone is running towards the same thing. 

Kimberly looks around her classroom. The PE classes have made such a mess that all her classmates are sticking their faces on the windows to watch. The teacher gives up trying to get them back to their seat, because he is curious, too. Kimberly hears someone yelling and shouting in the hallway. There are footsteps everywhere, heading toward to field. 

In a haze, she hears someone yelling: "they found the stolen taxidermy!"

"What the..." she whispers to herself. She jolts awake as if from a deep sleep, and stands up before anyone makes a reaction. She knocks down the chair. 

"Get back here, Ms. Hart!" The teacher is shouting at her. But she is too busy running away. She joins the stream of students, heading toward the edge of the football field. She knows she is the only one who has a reason to be here. The rest of them are using the excuse to get out of their classroom. 

There is already a crowd around the benches. Someone called the police because Kimberly can hear the sirens and radio talks approaching.

She pushes past the students, earning a string of curse words. When she finally arrives at the front roll. Two adults are already carrying the taxidermy out on a stretcher. They found the saber-toothed tiger in the bushes, lying on the side and without the sign on its ear. The thing is covered in mud and grass. All its fur are tangled in a mess. 

"It must be a sick joke." The principle mumbles. "It better not be the handiwork of my students!"

Kimberly can feel all eyes burning a hole on her face, but in reality, no one notices her. She slips past the crowd and walks back to the classroom. 

"You are getting detention for this, miss." The teacher is fuming but she doesn't really care. 

"Half the school walked out of the classroom," she tells him. "You better prepare some room for Saturday."

It turns out she gets herself another detention. When she is back in her seat, she continues to stare out of the window. It seems like she is back to her routine. All the exciting part of her story has come to the final page. The performers are bowing to the audience and the audience is clapping. 

Everything with Trini is nothing but a dream. 

No matter how hard Kimberly tries, she can't forget the eyes of the taxidermy. They are lifeless. Worse, they are two black holes that suck the life of out Kimberly.

When the daily announcement comes up on the classroom's TV. They show the news channel. "Stolen taxidermy found at local high school, authority promise to find the thief." Kimberly didn't steal it, for all that matters. The taxidermy follows her willingly.

"Important historical evidence returned to the Natural Museum. Will be open to the public in three days."

Kimberly tells herself once again. She isn't the thief but the guilt is eating her alive. Maybe it's not because of the new reporting. She is guilty of letting Trini go in the first place. The idiot didn't touch another human for so long. Now she's back to a mummy. 

Kimberly thinks it over once again. She is skipping her detention, that's for sure. The question is what she's gonna do with the extra time.

She's gonna steal the taxidermy back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter till the end!


	12. Chapter 12

The museum is about to close when Kimberly gets there. She pays for one of the last few tickets before the office stop selling them. 

She skipped the afternoon half of the school. She drove all the way here for this shit. Kimberly looked around the museum. It's the same as the last time she been here. It's crazy how much has changed in her life. 

From pure muscle memory, Kimberly heads for the display room. The centerpiece is missing.

Kimberly runs a hand through her hair. Trini should be here by now. Even though she isn't put on display, she should be somewhere. Maybe in the back, where the staffs clean her up?

She didn't plan on break into a "staff only" area, but if she must...Kimberly is here to steal from their collection, after all.

There are very few visitors today. Perhaps because it's late. The broadcast are repeating:"we are closing in x minutes, please make your way to the exit". And Kimberly knows she isn't leaving anytime soon, not without Trini, at least. 

She feels like an idiot wondering around in the showroom, looking for the one taxidermy. 

"We're closing, kid." A guard interrupts her thought. Right. Kimberly quickly nods and pretends to head to the front door. She slips into the restroom and locks herself in one of the stalls.

It's crazy how nothing changes.

She plays with her phone while she is in there. There are people comes and goes, but soon it all quiets down. She hears the staff locking up. The workers come out of their corner and clean up before they leave. 

Kimberly is standing on top of the toilet, so they can't see her feet when they bend down to clean. She hears the janitor coming in with brooms. They start to clean the stalls one by one. Her heart throbs nervously. There's nothing she can do if she gets caught.

The janitor is now in the stall next to her. Kimberly hears the woman humming a song. From the crack of the door, Kimberly sees her wearing a mask and a pair of headphones. If Kimberly is careful enough...

She hears the water flushes and the janitor is exiting the stall. Kimberly grabs onto the separator between the two stalls. She jumps and flips herself over to the stall next to her. She lands with a quiet thud. She freezes to hear any movement outside the door. The janitor is now entering the same stall Kimberly was in, just two seconds ago. 

Kimberly stands very still on the toilet. She holds her breath, especially when she doesn't intend to take in any more restroom smells. Both of her hands are on the walls, holding herself in the same position. 

The janitor is mopping the floor right now. Kimberly watches as they sweep the floor a few inches underneath her. 

She counts the seconds and waits for the person to leave. They are doing their job so carefully, cleaning up every corner. Kimberly wants to die. The things she does to rescue Trini. But Kimberly reminds herself that it's her fault in the first place.

Okay. The janitor is leaving now. Once the door is closed, Kimberly slowly comes down from the toilet. Her legs are wobbly from standing in the same place for so long. She sighs in relief. She quickly exits the restroom and takes in the surrounding. There are some staff members scattering everywhere. Any one of them sees here right now, standing like an illegal visitor, she would be screwed. 

Kimberly finds a hiding place behind the wall. Her next stop is a stone post at the corner of the lobby. There are two people talking in front of the post, though. She waits. She extends her head every thirty seconds. After who knows how long, they are leaving. 

Good. Kimberly makes a quiet dash for the post. She feels like a ninja, even slightly proud of herself. She sighs when she gets there. 

That's when she sees the taxidermy. It's clean now. She doesn't know how, but the fake animal fur is free from mud. Kimberly thinks they even brushed the tiger. It's weird to think about it, but only she knows it's not a taxidermy at all.

The team carries the display piece to the room. They walk past her like they don't even look at their surroundings. She supposes that's a good thing.  
Kimberly watches as they enter Trini's room and set her down. Right there in the middle. They set up a rope of warning lines around the taxidermy. They made a new sign and are now wrapping it onto the ear.

Kimberly waits for them to leave. She has spent about an hour in this place, and now she is really starting to feel the creep. The AC is still running at full force, turning the museum into an ice dungeon. She can feel all the other taxidermy's eyes on her. Their eyes are full of artificial death. Kimberly hates every part of it.

The workers are leaving. They may be ready to show Trini to the general audience by tomorrow, instead of in three days. Too bad. No one other than Kimberly is going to see the tiger again.

The AC is shut down. The lights are dulling and finally leaves Kimberly in a complete darkness. The ceiling is a glass window dome, so at least she can have some natural light. 

She is still not convinced that she is in the safety of being alone, so she walks close to the wall and safe in the shadow. 

Kimberly walks across the room to see Trini. She studies the saber-toothed tiger for a few second. It is Trini. They have fought before. Kimberly would never forget those dagger teeth. 

Kimberly stares at it in the eyes. It's not Trini. Not like this. 

Her heart is beating like it will take flight. Her hand is shaky when she holds it up. Closer and closer to the taxidermy. Kimberly smiles a little to herself. What a huge "fuck you" to the "please do not touch" sign.

She feels the sandy fur under her palm. When the tiger was alive, the fur was much silkier. Kimberly breathes and slides her other hand on the tiger's head. She soothes the lifeless taxidermy and waits for it to come back to life.

Kimberly almost screams out in joy when she feels it. She feels the cold taxidermy coming to life. She feels the warmth like lava underneath a volcano. The saber-toothed tiger is warming up by every second. Kimberly doesn't dare to move her hands away even though it's starting to burn her palms.

She stands close to the animal. The dust and dirt on the flawless ground vibrate. Kimberly feels like a fucking sorcerer. She laughs at herself when the tiger's muscles drag to movement. She takes a small step back as the animal blinks in confusion. Eyes shining like what a real tiger would look like.

Okay. Now comes the important step. Kimberly prays that it won't go rogue again. 

When the tiger closes its mouth, Kimberly huffs. She is drenched in cold sweat. The tiger closes its mouth and its mouthful of sharp teeth disappears from Kimberly's sight.

"Trini," Kimberly calls out in a whisper. The tiger is shifting. Changing to the human girl she knows. It's groaning in pain, but Kimberly doesn't dare to look away. She wants to look around and see if the noise attracts any unwanted attention. The museum is empty and under dark lights. They are alone.

Kimberly watches anxiously as the shape of a girl surfaces. She can hear the bones crack and adapt into their new shape. Together with the skin and tissues. Kimberly can feel the pain herself.

"Kimberly." A weak voice snaps her back to reality. Kimberly inhales a sharp breath of air. It feels like her heart is finally calming down, until the next words make her blood runs cold. 

"I can't stay human," Trini says.

"Wait. W-what? Why?" Kimberly bursts into a panic mess. She soothes the girl and touches her human skin. Trini's hair is a mess but it's not animal fur. Trini is human now. Naked, but still human. Nothing seems wrong...?

"I-I have to change back." The girl mutters. Kimberly senses what's wrong. The shifter's body temperature is never stable. It's turning hot again, preparing for change. It didn't even cold down, yet.

"But...but I'm touching you." It sounds weird but it's true. Kimberly never removes her hand, in fear of influencing Trini's transformation. And now, she doesn't dare move her hands anymore. Something is wrong...and Kimberly doesn't know if it's her fault.

"Don't leave," Trini says with a small voice. Kimberly wraps her arms around her, glad that she is wearing a short-sleeve. Her skin is cooling Trini down. Only if Trini stays at this temperature, everything would be fine. 

Kimberly caresses her carefully. She feels Trini visibly shaking in her arms. 

"Kim," Trini chokes out. Her spine is rising against her skin, but Kimberly's touch is fighting to keep her human. "Make it stop. Kim."

Kimberly's eyes are swelling with tears. She knows by the tear stains on her shoulder, Trini is in worse condition. 

"What can I do?" Touching isn't enough to keep her here. 

"Just stop. Okay?" Right now Trini looks like the most vulnerable thing in the world. "...Hands off me. And leave."

Kimberly pulls her at arms' length. She stares at Trini in disbelief. "No, you don't want that." 

Trini cracks under her gaze. "No. Don't leave." She shakes her head and buries it in Kimberly's neck.

There gotta be something more. 

Kimberly finds her lips nudging Trini's cheek. So she takes a leap of faith and presses to Trini's. Trini is taken by complete surprise. She freezes at the sensation and shivers slightly. Kimberly hopes it's a good thing. Please let this work. 

Kimberly brushes against Trini's trembling bottom lips. She takes it between her teeth and gently tugs. 

"I'm not going anywhere," Kimberly whispers against her lips. "Not without you."

Trini's hand shakily touches Kimberly's hair. Kimberly tightens the hug. The kiss ends when they both need some air. 

Kimberly searches something in Trini's eyes. She doesn't know what, but whatever it is will make her heart rest. 

"It stopped." Trini smiles weakly. She lifts her eyes to meet Kimberly's

Kimberly grins and rubs Trini's back in tight circles. "Let's just get out of here."

Kimberly gives Trini the clothes she prepared. She helps Trini putting the sweater on.

They escape through the window on the first floor. Trini is too tired to run, and Kimberly has to resist the urge to pick her up. 

Under the polite moonlight, Kimberly can admire Trini without looking like a creep. She finds the paper sign around Trini's ear. Kimberly reaches over and carefully unwrap the strings. The sign brushes past Trini's hair when Kimberly takes it off.

"The curse's gone." Trini takes a deep breath of the evening air. "I can feel it."

"Do you feel like a Disney princess?" Kimberly giggles. Trini gasps and hits her lightly on the arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. The story was born from my obsession with shapeshifters. It's my first official fanfic which sparked my interest for more short stories/novelettes. I really enjoyed writing Trimberly and maybe there will be a new fic soon. Who knows.  
> Comment + Hit me up on Tumblr: forkandpinklemonade.tumblr.com


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